416 piston

[2001EX]

When putting a bigger piston in is it better to put in a high compression or will just going up to a 415 make a differance? Also, if installing a 416 at 11:1 what octane race gas and pump gas do you use for the 50/50 mix. Is usinf avgas the same as mixing? Any replies would be appreciated.

[mikeboone]

Yea, you will notice more power if you bump the compression up to 10.8:1. You can run 93 with this setup or at worst 50/50 93/race gas. The higher octane gas you get the SLOWER it burns-this eliminates detonation but dont pay for more than you need. Most AV gas is 100 LL (low lead) and should work ok for you. I ran it for awhile on my old 416 setup.

[Ryan]

At 11:1, Race gas isn't needed. If you wanted to bump up the compression any higher then that, then it might be start to start mixing 50/50 (93 pump/av race gas). Otherwise, 93 pump gas will do you good.

And yes you will notice a difference with the higher compression.

[mikeboone]

11:1 is not some magical # that is the cut off between pump and race gas. I had a 10.8:1 JE 416 and it spark knocked on 93 so 50/50 mix was needed. What you need will depend on more than wether it's over 11:1 or not.

[2001EX]

Will the added torque of the 416 high comp piston cause the factory chain and sprockets to wear out very much faster?